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President Nikolic receives Bishop Nikolaj's medal in Lelic

VALJEVO - Bishop of Valjevo Milutin presented Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic with the medal of St Bishop Nikolaj in the monastery Lelic on Saturday for his efforts and care for Serbia and its people and for tireless work towards improving the relations between the government and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Nikolic attended a liturgy dedicated to St Nikolaj of Zica at the monastery, where the saint's remains are located.

Milutin's message to Nikolic was to rule Serbia wisely and protect its integrity.

The presence of the president in a church is a good sign for Serbia, because nothing can be done without faith in god, the bishop noted.

St Nikolaj, who is viewed as one of the greatest theologians of Orthodox Christianity, was born in Lelic in 1880 and died in the US in 1956. He was declared a saint in 2003.

Nikolic visited the monastery Celije, also near Valjevo, where the remains of St Justin Popovic, another great Orthodox theologian, are kept.